Construction of buildings



(No Model.)

Patented Oct. 11, 1892, 4

g 0W 0 3 Jm w a jw 7 o a 4m M um w A. i\ v W UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BENJAMIN RUSSELL, OF PORTSMOUTH, NE\V HAMPSHIRE.

CONSTRUCTION'OF BUILDINGS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 484,244, dated October 11, 1892. Application filed September 29, 1891. Serial No. 407,118- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN RUSSELL, of Portsmouth, county of Rockingham, State of New Hampshire, have invented an Improvement in the Construction of Buildings, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention has for its object an improved construction of buildings whereby the spread of fire may be prevented.

In accordance with this invention the floors of a building to be protected are provided each with a tank covering substantially the entire floor area, the said tank being adapted to be flooded in case of fire to prevent the fire from penetrating the floor.

The invention also comprehends a double partition to leave a space to constitute a reservoir or tank, which may also be flooded to prevent spread of fire through the wall, which is herein shown as surroundinga stairway or elevator-well.

Other features of invention will be hereinafter described, and pointed outin the claims.

Figure 1 represents in vertical section a building'constructed in accordance with this invention; Fig. 2, a partial plan View of one of the floors, a portion of the latter being broken away to show the floor-timbers, the tank around the elevator being also shown, partly in section.

Referring to the drawings, A A represent the walls of any usual building, and a the usual floor-timbers.

In accordance with this invention, a metallic floor composed of tin, galvanized iron, or other suitable material I) is laid upon the floor-timbers a and turned up at the edges on all sides, as at I), thus forming a water-tight tank, which may be filled with water from suitable valves 0 in a supply or stand pipe 0, arranged in the present instance upon the inside of the building, the valve-stems c? being extended through the wall of the building and provided on the outside thereof .with suitable operating-handles 0 by which the valves may be opened from the exterior of the building and the floors flooded without entering the building, the said valves being operable from the interior of the building by handles a. A series of joists d are laid on the tank-floor b, preferably immediately over and in line with the floor-timbers a, the usual floorf being laid upon and secured to these joists, as represented in Fig. l, the joists being provided with limbers or cut-away portions d at intervals to permit the water admitted to the tank to circulate through the said joists.

h h represent a double partition confloor-tank or may communicate therewith by means of a pipe or pipes m, whichrise above the bottom of the floor-tanks, so that the said floor-tanks when full will overflow into and fill the partition-tanks.

By referring to Fig.- 1 it will be seen'that a partition-tank formed as described is located on each floor, extending from the floor of one story to the ceiling above, the tanks being independent of each other, each being flooded from an adjacent floor-tank. The separate tanks thus inclose the well from the top to the bottom of the building, it beingof course understood that openings are made for doors, whereby access may be had to either stairs or elevator, as the case may be. The floor-tanks may also be provided with other outlets n, which lead to the perforated pipes n, surrounding the stairway or elevator-well, the water from the floor-tank also overflowing into these pipes and being distributed in spray form in all directions in the Well or stairway to assist in preventing a spread of fire through these avenues. If desired, in mills and other similar buildings where no ceiling is provided the floor-tank maybe provided with a numberof perforations or openings p, which may be closed with fusible solder or other similar material, which shall fuse or melt under the influence of excessive heat, as when a fire is in progress in the room below, to thus permit the water admitted to the floor-tank to be sprayed in all directions to check the fire below it. In case of fire the occupants in "the interior of thebuilding may by means of the valves 0' flood any particular floor or partition to prevent a spread of fire, or if impossible to gain access to the valves from the interior of the building they may be opened from the exterior at any floor or partition and flooded, as desired, to best check the progress of the flames. The tankfloors also serve to prevent the damage of ceilings by bursting of water-pipes, &c. This invention is not limited to the exact construc-. tion shown, as it is evident the same may be somewhat varied to meet the various require ments of building construction.

In theparticular arrangement hereinshown' and described a single stand-pipe is used, all; of the tanks being supplied from this zpipe; but I desire it to beunderstood as withinthe scope of this invention that each tank may; be provided with its own independent supply or stand-pipe, which may be controlled by suitable valves on the street-floor or base-: ment, as represented by dotted lines, Fig. 1, within ready access from the street, the arrangement and construction being'va'ried according to the various'circumstances andrequirements. As the separate partition tanks receive water from'ad-jacent floor-tanks and the latter are flooded independentlyof each. other, it follows that the partition-tanks are floodedindependently and separately.

1. The-herein-describedbuilding construction, which consists in a series of independ-f ent partition-tankscomposed each of upright double partitions lined withwaterproof =material and extending from floorto ceiling ofeach story, forming three sides of the stair-J wayor elevator well, and means for flooding said tanks independently by Water in case of fire, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with a series of floortanks, of a stand-pipe c, placed in the interior of the building and provided with valves 0, having their stems extended through the wall of the building and accessible from both the interior and exterior of the building for the operation of the valve, substantially as described.

3. The herein-described improved building construction, which consists in a series of independent floor-tanks and vertical tank-partitionsin communication with each other and adapted to be flooded in case of fire, substantially as described.

4. In a building having 'elevator-wellsor 'stairways, the=combinati0n, with afloor-tank, of a perforated pipe placed in said well 'or stairway and in communication with said floor-tank, substantially as'desc'ribed.

5. The'combination, with the floor ta'nk, of a partition-tank to receive the overflow from the said floor-tank connected'therewith,substantially as described.

'6. In a building having. elevator-wells or 'stairways, thecombination, with a floor-tank aprovidedwith a seriesof p'erforations in its bottom normally-closed by fusible 'solder,of a perforated pipeplaced in sa'idwell or stairw'a-yand in communication with said floortankysubstantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the'presence of two subscribing witnesses.

BENJAMIN RUSSELL.

\Vitnesses:

FREDERICK L. EMERY, EMMA J. BENNETT. 

